April 5, 1942
Page Nineteen
THE JEWISH NEWS
A Tale of Old New York
In Which Mrs. Sara P. Epstein is the Heroine
(Copyright, 1942, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
By RUTH KARPF
Mrs. Sarah P. Epstein is an aunt of Lawrence
prominent Detroit Zionist leader.)
W. Crohn,
Our Film Folk
In Defense
ENEMY CREATURES VS. AMERICA'S WILL-TO-WIN
By HELEN ZIGMOND
Resentment was expressed in cer-
tain quarters when movies were
designated as an essential industry
to the war, yet the English . . .
after two-and-a-half years under
fire . . . will testify to the urgency
of this fact. Quentin Reynolds, re-
turning from England, said. "Mark
this well—entertainment is as nec-
essary to a people at war as food
or tanks—and you, the movie in-
dustry, must provide.
Hollywood is doing that and much
more. Into the armed forces, ambu-
lance corps, air warden units, Red
Cross, canteen service go our movie
folks.
The Zukors—father and son—are
Navy men. Eugene John Zukor, 19-
year-old son of Lieuttenant Com-
mander Eugene Zukor, and grand-
son of Adolph Zukor, entered the
Navy as an apprentice seaman. His
father, chief of Naval Intelligence,
witnessed the enlistment and re-
called that he was about the same
age as his son when he entered
the Navy as an ensign in World
War 1.
AIR RAID WARDENS
Tony Martin is also a Bluejacket.
Carl Laemmle, Jr., was just in-
ducted into the Army. Directors
Leigh Jason and William Wyler are I
also khaki-clad in active service
with the Army. Colonel Nathan
Levinson, movie sound engineer,
fills an important post as head of
the California area in the Signal
Corps Reserve. Producers Robert
Lord and Sam Briskin are reserve
officers of his unit. Producer Mil- •
ton Bren is doing patrol duty with
the Coast Guard. Director Archie
Mayo and Producer Lester Cowan
are somewhere in the east perform- j
ing military assignments of a con-
fidential nature. Another Naval of-
ficer is
Lieutenant Commander
Walter Winchell, who turned down
a movie contract in order to be
of the Red Cross Drive. Jack
Warner and his wife are active in
Bundles for Bluejackets.
always on call.
Among the air raid wardens
They serve in many ways: Sally
guarding this city are Actors George Eilers and Mary Livingston are
Tobias. Marc Lawrence, Don Castle, busy in the VACS (Volunteer Army
and Director Sidney Salkow and Canteen Service). Hedy La Ma rr,
Writer Michael Simmons.
besides making appearances for the
Authorities, utilizing talent where Red Cross, is the first player to
it is most needed. placed Garson start a Victory garden. Mrs. Mervyn
Kanin with the 0. P. C. to direct LeRoy (Doris Warner) is in charge
and produce government films. And of all the Bluejacket canteens west
Melvyn Douglas, happy to serve in of the Mississippi. Leo Robbins and
his best capacity, is in charge of Ralph Rainger wrote a song, "Uncle
the program division of the O.C.D. Sam Gets Around," and gave it
Pursuing the same principle of the to the government. It would be
right man for the "write" job, all impossible to estimate the f ar-
the screen -writers, screen publicists, reaching effects of Irving Berlin's
!and radio writers have been mobil- patriotunes.
annual Mat.zah distributions at Pe- ized in one body—the Originating
Space curtails the list of credits
sach time. One other Pesach recol- Committee. Headed by Ben Hecht,
. . . but be assured . . . our film
lection from this part of the city with many of our Brethren in the
folk of Hollywood are answering
—Yorkville—is when Mrs. Epstein ranks. this division creates the ideas
the Call to Arms!
had to go to the dairy.farm at 82nd for skits, shows and speeches that
and Fifth Avenue, the present site carry on the war effort all over
HONOR
of the Metropolitan Museum of Art , for skits, shows and speeches that
The surest way to live with honor
to get a canful of goat's milk for BOND SALESMAN
in the world is to be in reality what
the Passover Holidays.
The major producers. most of we appear to be. —Socrates.
Mrs, Epstein is still very active . whom are past the combat-duty
By skillful cc,nduct and artificial
organizations, besides
in
many
age. work indefatigably for every means a person may make a sort
which she belongs to a Hebrew drive. Louis B. Mayer has acted
of name for himself; but if the
language class at the Seminary, a as chairman or on the board
of inner jewel be wanting. all is van-
Hadassah Choral group, and a piano every campaign from "Buy Your
ity, and will not last.—Goethe.
class. Here is what she says about Defense Bonds" to "Save Your Tin-
Be noble-minded! Our own heart,
it: "I don't like all this fuss that's foil" . has made dozens
or and not other men's opinions forms
being made about me. I have never speeches_ His studio has also con-
our true honor.—Schiller.
really worked. I have never dug tributed a score of training films to
By humility and the fear of the
the soil, or anything like that. I the government. Harry
Warner Lord are riches, and honour, and
like being of service when I can. heads the Motion Picture Division
life.—Proverbs 22:4.
and I like culture and music, song
and dance, reading, writing—and
people."
OF
Her very room bears her out.
There is a piano, pictures, and
books, books abut everything from
art to psychoanalysis, from Plato
to Emily Post and from Abraham
Lincoln to Theodor Herzl_ And
amidst it all a 75-year old lady,
who isn't old at all, sits and talks
FOR
about Youth, and the war. and the
ONLY
future. "I think what one has to do
■
MRS. SARA P. EPSTEIN
Do you know anyone who can
tell you stories of New York when
one still had to catch the horse car
that stopped at 85th and Madison?
When Fifth Ave. was a purely resi-
dential section. when carriages
graced by fully uniformed footman
and high-stepping horses waited in
front of the millionaires' residences?
When one took a hansom cab to
get to the center of the city (what
we now call the Lower East Side)
and drove past the massive stone
castles of the Schiffs or the Selig-
manias. Lewisohns, Untermayers,
W a rb urgs—on Fifth Avenue.
Russia, 100 years ago; went over
, to California in the Gold Rush—
and brought some back_ There was
a group of Jews who all went to-
gether. Like the Mormons. They
tracked through the mountains and
through the deserts, days on end
without meeting a soul. But they
kept the dietary laws all through
and said Schacharit, Mancha and
yf
a_an
then b e h
setvcektryhgebdldre
ughvt ba
adare
.ugAn
eclesId have been
ro
labMn
able to do what I wanted all my
life. Perhaps that is what has kept
me so young."
ABLE ORGANIZER
Mrs. Epstein moved up to the
What is it Mrs. Epstein has want-
`suburbs," East 83rd Street when
ed to do? Well, way back in 1881
she was six years old—that's 69 she and her sister established an
years ago, in 1871, but she remem
office in Allen Street to welcome
bers the Lower East Side as a beau-
had
tiful residential section, when Ca-
fled after the progroms at Kishi-
nal Street was still a Canal with
nev and came to America penni-
little boats on it drifting along. and
less. They needed help. At that
weeds on both sides. When Cherry
time Mrs. Epstein still went to col-
Street section was still very small
lege, Hunter today, Normal then.
and everybody lived in clean old-
She was graduated in 1885. She
fashioned one or two-story houses.
was also a member of the first
READS FREUD, DICKENS
graduating class of the Teachers'
In her cosy little room up in Institute of the Jewish Theological
Central Park West, Mrs_ Epstein Seminary in 1912. She taught school
sits amongst her books and family until she got married and then
pictures and talks about the past. went to Worcester, Mass., to live.
to keep young," she says reflectively"
Unlike most other ladies of her Apparently that accounts for her
"is to get as many resources as you
age, she doesn't like talking about odd, but attractive brand of dia-
can early in your life. Studies,
the part of her life that is past. lects. In her very clear and very
She lives very much in the pres- prim English—unmistakably Boston knowledge, people, hobbies, pleas-
ures. Then you are not lonely when
ent still. For psichological studies or vicinity—there will creep, on oc-
she reads Freud, not Dickens. But casion, an inflection of the voice, you grow old. You can keep busy.
have something with which to
I insisted. So she told me about quite indescribable, which gives
play when you can't work any
the Gay Nineties "When people away not only the New Yorker, but
more."
laughed, and danced, and sang in the long-time New Yorker.
Yes, she is a Zionist. "When I
the streets. When there was pros-
But we were talking about what was young I always thought of
perity everywhere, when the cafes
Mrs. Epstein "wanted to do." Well, Eretz Israel as a place in which
opened, and all the beautiful hotels
she was one of the founders of the I want to die. Then I went and
were built.—when everywhere was
Women's League of the United Syn- saw it in 1932 and 1933. And now
beauty and style, and gayety." And
agogue, the New York Chapter of I think of it as a place in which
how, when she came to Public
Hadassa.h, the Central Jewish In- I want to live and laugh." And
School No. 93 where she was teach-
stitute and its affiliated Camp when I left her she said "Shalom.
ing, on Columbus Day in 1892, and
Cejwin, and the Yorkville relief lehitraoth," with the slightest bit
the whole school was celebrating
society—wjeh also includes regular of an accent of Old New York,
the 400th anniversary of the dis-
covery of America, they could look Miii!allUtaisi:iiltiTE111111111186111111881111111111111MMIM181118111111W1111111811111111111111t11111111111111111111111111110111[1111W1111111111111111113111ga
clear over from Amsterdam Ave.
down to the river and see the car-
avels—the little boats Columbus
used, still floating on the water.
She looks out of the window at
BE PROTECTED—FILL YOUR BIN NOW.
the gigantic skyline of Manhattan
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and smiles. "You couldn't do that
now!" And then her eyes wander
around the room over the pictures
of her children and grandchildren
and her great grandchildren until
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